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Artist Advice Editorials Industry News News

50 Hard Rock/Pop Punk Playlists you should be pitching (and how to reach them)

Playlists are the new mixtapes. If you want to get ahead in your career, you need to appear on these popular playlists.

Music discovery has changed. The days of people sharing MP3s online or burning one another CD-Rs in their bedrooms with artwork made from a Sharpie are now considered the dark ages. Today’s music listeners discover new artists and songs through playlists, but discovering the right playlist for your music and how to contact the curator behind it can feel impossible at times.

We’re here to help. With the assistance of several friends in the music business, we have uncovered fifty (50) influential hard rock and pop punk playlists that are actively helping artists at every level raise their profiles on a global scale. We’ve also found the people behind them, or at least, a means to contact those behind them, and we’re giving that information to you for free today.

Smart artists will recognize that this is not a perfect solution to pitching problems they currently face. There are thousands of artists working every day for increased exposure through Spotify playlists, and many of them will likely be reaching out to these same contacts in hopes of being noticed. We ran tips to help you stand out while playlist pitching last month, and we will run more in the months to come. Be professional, be engaging, and always be true to yourself. Let the curators know what makes you and your music unique.

Name Contact
2019 Christian Rock indiechristiansound@gmail.com
All Things Heavy jesea@highroadpublicity.com
beach goth @yung.thuy
Beats n Bass [ drum and bass / dance / liquid ] @katetechtastic
Best Covers sol@safetyorange.com
Best Of: Metalcore / Hardcore @DekaAgency
Big Rock Bangers wearekooluk@gmail.com
blessings for sleepy sad teens @cryopotato
Breakout Core (Metalcore. Melodic. Post Hardcore) info@beheadingthetraitor.com
Early 2000s Pop Punk Nostalgia rnwalsh17@gmail.com
ELITE TRAINING @ToddActual
Euro Punk info@antillectual.com
Feesten/Uitgaan Remco.wiefferink2002@gmail.com
forever pop punk @blfarber
GHOST VIBES | EMO/POP PUNK @danplourenco
Happy Hardcore @Jalmaan
Hardcore Bangers @samimadlad
Hardcore Christian Fight/Motivation Workout @ivanrmacias
HARDCORE OLD SCHOOL (1978-1989) @hardcoreoldschool
Hardcore Workout Music by Fitify martin@fitifyapps.com
Hardcore/Punk Crist√£o Abril meneguel@gmail.com.
HEAVY METAL / METALCORE / HARDCORE – COLLECTION @ChrisMavUK
Japanese Punk-Alternative @teachoice.
KOREAN HEAVY METAL | SCREAMO & K-HEAVY METAL | KPOP HEAVY METAL @aryatully
Makeout – Kinky Version – Sexy songs @lissaa_souza
Memes do Hardcore – HC BR @memesdohardcore.
Metal United – Metal / Metalcore / Deathcore / Rock / Post Hardcore / Alt metalunitedinfo@gmail.com
Metalcore / Screamo / Postcore / Hardcore metalcore.playlist@gmail.com
Metalcore/Deathcore/Post-hardcore/Alternative themetalcorecommunity@gmail.com
Midwest Emo Revival / Post Indie-Rock IDK natgoodhue@gmail.com
Music for the Ginger Soul gingersoul1019@gmail.com
New Pop Punk Essentials gavinbonar@gmail.com.
Now That’s What I Call Breakdowns! jordan@killthemusic.net
Pop Punk & Positivity by Get Your Head Straight @getyourheadstraightuk
Pop Punk + @de7eck
POP PUNK 2019 ukpoppunkers@gmail.com
Post Hardcore Indonesia @rayasabari
PROZAC @ollydagger
Punk Love (716-563-5856)
Rap Hardcore / Hip Hop Hardcore / Rap Underground / Rap Latino / Rap Chileno / Rap Mexicano @bonnevilla
Rock/Punk/Metal Mix qbroadwaymp29@gmail.com.
rock/reggae/hardcore/ laurocg@gmail.com
Screamo x Metalcore x Post-Hardcore x Hardcore x Metal @gmcauchi_
Shrednector (Pop Punk / Indie Rock) @shrednector
Spring is in the ear @sabrinasterntal
Suomi Finland Punk & Rock sofapromotions@gmail.com
Tight Jeans, Tighter Scene jesea@highroadpublicity.com
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News

Five Benefits of Campaign Scheduling

Haulix now allows users to schedule their promotional campaigns up to two weeks in advance, and there are many reasons to celebrate.

Promotional campaigns are the heart and soul of album rollouts. Everything, from the first single, to the final review, relies on good emails reaching the right tastemakers at the right moment in time. A poorly planned campaign can result in coverage opportunities being rushed or missed altogether, and in a market flooded with talent, there is no good reason to risk such a fate falling on your next release.

Haulix is built for promotion. Our customizable album promo screens enable artists and labels at every level to reinforce their brand and aesthetic while securing sharing their latest releases with tastemakers. In April, we took these efforts further by adding a scheduling feature that allows users to schedule their promotional campaigns up to two weeks in advance. You can try the system for yourself by signing up today on our official website.

But what are the benefits to scheduling your emails? That’s a good question:

Time zones

Tastemakers in New York City are usually up and working before the those on the West Coast. Tastemakers in London are eight hours ahead of Tastemakers in Chicago. Any influencer living in Australia is working sixteen-hours ahead of those living in Colorado. Confused? Us too.

Campaign scheduling empowers users to easily reach their contacts at the best times for those tastemakers. In a matter of minutes, a Haulix user can schedule campaigns for connections in different time zones.

Staggered Campaign Schedules

Not all tastemakers are the same, and they shouldn’t be treated as such. Instead of sending everyone a campaign at once, Haulix users schedule their campaigns to roll out based on the needs of their contacts and the preferences of their clients. High-priority contacts may get an album a month from release, but contacts with lower reach/importance may not be serviced an album until a week or two later. 

Premieres

Great artists publicists know that the demand for access to the material they are promoting will spike immediately following a single release. If your new single is going to premiere at noon on a popular blog, then scheduling the advance to roll out to high-priority contacts a few minutes later can increase the likelihood of immediate engagement. 

The problem is, the moments following a major premiere are hectic. Artists and publicists have to promote the release through their social media channels, monitor conversations, and engage with fans in real time. Campaign scheduling solves this problem, and even allows for creative subject lines to help further the narrative. For example, “Pup’s new single is out now, and here is the album!”

Campaign summaries

As an added bonus, the rollout of campaign scheduling also marked the debut of Haulix Campaign Summaries. Now, every campaign sent through Haulix generates a standalone activity page where users can view email engagement and promo engagement in a matter of clicks. Users are also empowered to easily send follow-up emails and direct links to their promos.

Look busy, even if you’re not

The music industry is a 24/7 business that does not care whether or not professionals have healthy personal lives beyond the office. Work comes first no matter what, but scheduling allows you to get ahead, if only long enough for a quiet lunch or a stroll around the block. Let’s face it: Everyone deserves a few minutes to relax, including you, but that doesn’t mean you campaigning has to stop. You just have to be more creative the competition!

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Industry News Job Board News

Music Industry Job Board (May 6, 2019)

New openings:

Marketing Director (Ineffable Music Group – Pacific Grove, CA)

This position will oversee the development and implementation of a fully integrated, annual marketing strategy for all live events produced by Ineffable Live, California Roots Presents, and the California Roots Music & Arts Festival. It is essential that candidates be able to demonstrate confidence as a dynamic leader, analytical, creative and entrepreneurial thinking, and the ability to spot original and innovative branding opportunities.

Director, Music Media Licensing, Nickelodeon (Viacom – Hollywood, CA)

The Director of Music and Media Licensing will work closely with the Vice President (VP) to formulate licensing strategy and negotiate favorable rates for the use of music and other third-party elements for the Nickelodeon Networks. The role will work across all aspects of programming including live action, animation, reality, scripted, short form, promos, and digital. The chosen candidate will be at the forefront of the production process, communicating regularly with Production teams (in-house and/or third party), Music Supervisors, Composers, Production Management, Nickelodeon Music & Talent, Creative, Marketing, Business Development, Digital/Viacom Digital Studios, Business and Legal Affairs, and IP Litigation teams, supporting strategy and securing clearances to execute and deliver on business initiatives.

Coordinator, Multiplatform Programming, MTV/VH1/CMT/Logo (Viacom – NYC)

Are you an avid television watcher? Do you love keeping up with the entertainment industry trends? The MTV, VH1 & CMT Multiplatform Programming team lives under the MTV/VH1/CMT/LOGO Program Planning and Scheduling department. We focus on show-related content and experiences, programming and scheduling content across a variety of non-linear platforms such as desktop/mobile sites and apps/connected devices as well as third-party partner platforms through Video On Demand (VOD), Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD), and Electronic Sell-Through. The Multiplatform Coordinator will be responsible for the execution of day-to-day scheduling and coordination of all deliverables for the MTV SVOD product and our music set-top-box offering.

Music Manager (Owens Jr Christopher Clay – New York, NY)

24 Year Old Cultural visionary composer and creative is looking for a music business manager with vast knowledge of music preferably Live strings music notation orchestra symphonies and the arts, plays, sight and sounds movies big ideas. Someone well connected and can make things happen such as music placements, well connected with agencies and other management firms shows and selling music related products that stems from a creative innovative passionate millennial mind. Financial access to investors and knowledge of how to profit from music and creative ideas is a must. Social media and Marketing knowledge is needed as well.

Coordinator, Music Programming (SiriusXM – Washington, DC)

Works with members of the music programming team to create superior radio programs as needed. Supports creative processes, content development and production. Exercises both creative abilities and technical skills. Edits materials and operates an audio board. May be assigned to more than one program and perform slightly different functions across channels.

Senior Producer, Branded Content (Bleacher Report – NYC)

The Branded Content team will be tasked with bringing the industry-leading voice and distribution strategy to brand partners. The Branded Content studio will work with brands to concept video, text, interactive and live events platforms and then execute the ideas with internal and external partners. The Senior Producer is responsible for directing and/or producing top-level productions as well as managing and mentoring junior producers on the team. Senior Producer will also assist the Supervising Producer in identifying new storytelling trends and elevating content capabilities of the Branded Content Team.

Director, Music Marketing (Monster Energy – Corona, CA)

Reporting to the SVP of Marketing, the Director of Music Marketing oversees the Monster Energy Music Marketing initiative. As a life-style brand, music marketing is an essential part of Monster Energy’s marketing plan. This position will motivate, inspire and excite music fans in Monster Energy’s target market to create a positive image for Monster as one of America’s top life-style brands.

Program Manager, Apple Services Marketing- Music & Podcast (Apply – Culver City, CA)

We are looking for a Program Manager that will be responsible for the delivery of marketing activities across the Apple Music and Podcasts lines of business. Apple Music, the world’s fastest-growing subscription music streaming service, offers subscribers an incredible catalog of more than 50 million songs, combined with their entire iTunes library, which they can stream or download for offline listening all completely ad-free. Supported by Project Managers (PMs) and coordinators, the Program Manager provides extraordinary leadership across multiple project streams and supports the channel teams and brand marketing in effectively planning and executing their marketing activities.

Product Manager, Content Depot (NPR – Washington DC)

The Product Manager is responsible for identifying and articulating the needs, goals and requirements that guide PRSS ContentDepot projects. Assigned projects typically include technology, user experience, and business components and may be oriented toward internal or external users and stakeholders. In addition, the Product Manager may serve in a project manager role for projects of moderate complexity.

Copyright Associate (Capitol Christian Music Group – Brentwood, TN)

The Copyright Associate is responsible for setting up copyrights within Capitol CMG Publishing proprietary database, communicate copyright data externally, and support copyright initiatives.

Licensing Administrator (Warner Music Group – Nashville, TN)

The candidate hired to fill this position will be responsible for negotiating and securing mechanical, synchronization and other publishing licenses covering WMG’s exploitation of the musical compositions embodied in the records and recordings that WMG releases.

Manager, Regional Promotion (WMG – Nashville, TN)

Under general supervision, with latitude for independent judgment and decision is responsible for working with country music radio station programmers in a specified region of the US to seek and secure airplay, increase spins, and provide promotional opportunities for WMN artist releases. The Regional Radio & Streaming Manager explores and exploits all avenues in the market region via radio to contribute to the priorities and goals of the department.

Music Marketing Administrator (Monster Energy – Corona, CA)

Music Marketing Administrator partners with the Music Department Director and Managers with department needs, helps maintain smooth document flow and event support between Department and HQ. This individual also has a base knowledge of all the workings of the Music Marketing Department and can provide assistance to all Music Team members/Events were needed.

Sponsorship Manager (Lansion Media USA, Inc. (GTMG) – Beverly Hills, CA)

The Sponsorship Manager will provide complete oversight of all aspects of sponsorship execution and activation for the Huading Awards and other awards shows under our company. The Sponsorship Manager will ensure that benefit programs sold to sponsors for our events are executed expertly and as envisioned by the sponsor. In addition, the Sponsorship Manager will be expected to creatively lead the sponsorship acquisition process from the ideation phase of sponsorship pitches through to the execution stage of securing partnerships.

Digital Analyst (Live Nation – NYC)

The Digital Analyst will assist in developing reports and data insights for the Music, Sports, and Brands verticals that encompass Roc Nation’s exciting roster of clients. Responsibilities will include composing standard reports in addition to ad-hoc recaps to support Digital, Branding, and Marketing teams in a fast-paced working environment. The ideal candidate will have experience working intimately with data (Excel, data manipulation, statistical analysis), as well as an eagerness to work in the entertainment industry.

Director, Partner & Market Insights (WMG – NYC)

Data is the lifeblood of today’s record business, and in this role you’ll get a chance to apply your creativity and problem-solving skills to help our deal-leads create and implement new deals and strategy by transforming massive amounts of data into tangible insights and recommendations. Because the R+A team works closely with Business Development, you will have the opportunity to see the inner workings and decision-making of an international record label as it engages global digital partners – and the chance to drive the analysis that influences partner-related decisions. We’re a collaborative team that loves learning new things, sharing ideas, thinking about the future of the music industry – and helping our company get there.

Analyst, Music Experiences (American Express – New York, NY)

This Analyst role requires a detail-oriented and results-driven candidate to support the development, implementation, and execution of marquis partnerships across the entertainment value chain and special experiences in culture inclusive of music presales and activations across artist partnerships, music festivals such as Coachella and Austin City Limits, and music industry events such as Billboard Women in Music Awards and Women in Music Leadership Academy. The candidate will also support the team by assisting in the development of promotional materials for the aforementioned music programs, and lead management of related creative approval processes. Candidate will work closely with multiple agency and business unit partners to execute all marketing programs and initiatives.

Senior Director, Product Management (Bandwidth – Raleigh, NC)

The Senior Director, Product Management will lead P&L, support for the existing products, creating the investment strategy and development roadmap for Bandwidth’s Messaging Services portfolio. They will manage and coach a versatile team of product managers and analysts to manage, design and support the rapidly growing Messaging Services portfolio. The Senior Director, Product Management should directly engage with key customers, internal stakeholders and the industry to translate those learnings into requirements and roadmaps to work with Engineering, Product Marketing, Operations and Sales to drive highly valued products to market. 

Events Manager (The Vanity Group – New York, NY)


The Vanity Group is a rapidly growing boutique event planning firm servicing the entertainment/music elite. This is an extraordinary opportunity to work for a thriving company who is in the early phases of business with the opportunity to get in on the ground floor, help create the culture and the foundation of operational processes. You will work alongside an extremely accomplished founder who has created a well-known, exciting and unique business that has been highly praised since its inception both culturally and in the media.

Senior Marketing Manager (HarperCollins Publishers Inc. – Nashville, TN)

The Senior Marketing Manager is a strategic and tactical leader in planning and managing marketing activities for key front list and select backlist books for Vida Bibles and CLIE, which prides itself on strong author relationships, award-winning content, and a cohesive team environment. HCCP Spanish’s successes include being the leading Bible publisher and the leading publisher of Christian reference and academic titles.

Research Analyst (BMI – Nashville, TN)

This role will leverage strong analytical skills to perform various activities from research, problem solving/analysis, coordination of resolution through to communication.

Press Manager, North America (Listen Up – Los Angeles, CA)

We are currently recruiting for an experienced, well organized individual to join the Press team. You will be based in our fantastic Sunset Blvd offices with the added bonus of free parking! You must have 1-2 years’ experience working within a similar environment with a keen interest in electronic music. If you are looking for a hands on role that gives you the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of music PR, we could be what you are looking for.

Marketing Account Manager (Teammate – Los Angeles, CA)

The Account Manager will be an invaluable member of the team who oversees and manages multiple clients, employees, and campaigns simultaneously. From coming up with unique, impactful digital initiatives that effectively make use of all modern tools in the digital space, to maintaining a sharp sense of what’s fresh and current in pop culture (especially entertainment with a focus on music), this person will help ideate unique and interesting campaigns that will advance our clients’ goals! They will keep an eye on digital trends, shifts, and themes and be able to speak about them knowledgeably to both clients and Teammate and incorporate that knowledge into their work. This person will also have the freedom to operate autonomously with minimal supervision and will be expected to be able to report their successes and strategy to clients and Teammate effectively. Ultimately, this person will help create the next wave of digital genius in the entertainment space!

Digital Marketing Manager (Paladin – Seattle, WA)

Paladin is seeking an elite Digital Marketing professional with a concrete background in entertainment media to drive digital strategy for a team in Seattle, WA.

Legal Assistant, BET (Viacom – NYC)

The Business and Legal Affairs department handles development and production work for unscripted programming, news programming, tent-poles and works closely with the networks’ Development and Production Management teams, as well as many other departments (including Programming, Talent, Publicity, Music & Media Licensing, Labor & Employment, Risk Management, Pre-Broadcast Content Review, Intellectual Property & Litigation and Accounting/Finance).

Entertainment / Music Media & Publicist Specialist (Ketchum – NYC)

Ketchum is looking for an Entertainment/Music Media and Publicist Relations Specialist to join its team. This person will oversee earned media relations work for a wide variety of accounts in the agency and will be responsible for developing strategic media plans, forging relationships with celebrity publicists and executing earned media coverage. Working with senior counsel, you will develop media lists, craft engaging pitches and learn how to present feedback in a client-ready format.

Marketing Account Manager (Crowd Surf – Los Angeles, CA)

The account manager will be the driving force to bring value to our clients in the digital space. From managing relationships between Crowd Surf and its clients/artists, to ensuring that our client’s goals are being met through creative digital strategy and ideation, this person will communicate with clients on a daily basis, work with other team members to achieve creative goals, and constantly be on the lookout for new and exciting digital trends to incorporate into their ideas. Ultimately, the account manager will help drive revenue for both our clients and Crowd Surf.

Music Business Mgmt., Assistant Account Manager (Level Group Ltd. – New York, NY)

We are a quickly growing NYC based music business management firm- while artist managers handle the creative decisions, we focus on the business and finance back end for bands and other clients in the music industry. We are currently looking to add an important support position where you will be helping with daily data entry and clerical work, as well as a wide range of projects that may involve touring, royalties, accounting, taxes, etc.

Digital Music Review Agents (Accenture – Austin, TX)

Music Review Agents will be assessing music content ensuring that all music data content is accurate to data matching and verification.

News Director (WFHB – Bloomington, IN)

The News Director is responsible for providing leadership to, and for the operation of, the News Department in a manner consistent with the mission and policies of WFHB.

Global Scaled Content Production Director (Kimberly-Clark Corporation – Chicago, IL)

The Global Director Content Production is the strategic and functional leader for the Global enterprise and is tasked with delivering the vision for this functional discipline within the organization. This person should be passionate about producing a consistently superior creative product and their leadership ensures that infrastructure is built and in place to deliver. This role requires a proven ability to effectively run a world-class production function/department overseeing complex integrated content projects across all media channels (i.e. broadcast, print, experiential), with a strong emphasis for digital platforms. They should possess the necessary thought leadership and experience to simplify the complex, making the production process highly efficient and cost effective while yielding an impactful and high quality creative content product in market.

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Business Advice Editorials Industry News News

The fastest way to improve your music PR efforts

Email is the name of the game when it comes to music PR, and when everyone is doing the same thing, it’s the details that make all the difference.

Everyone working in music receives a lot of emails all the time for a wide variety of reasons. Writers and music critics, for example, receive press releases from anyone with an artist or release to promote who is smart enough to find their email address. They also have messages from editors, personal contacts, and – in the case of blog editors – aspiring professionals looking for an opportunity. It’s overwhelming, and it is becoming increasingly hard for any message to stand out.

Many marketing blogs will tell you that an eye-catching subject line is all you need to get someone to open your message. That may be true in certain circumstances, but an open only brings a reader to your message – it does not make them engage with it.

If people don’t like what they see at first glance, then your email is no more successful than the messages that get trashed without an open. Grammar and structure aside, there is one thing that can grab the attention of a writer (or anyone) at first glance:

Use their name.

First or last or both, it doesn’t matter. Just use it.

That seems surprisingly simple, and it is, but the vast majority of publicists, artists, and others vying for attention these days do not take the few seconds needed to address the recipient of their emails adequately.

Here is a sampling of the most common, least engaging greetings used today:

  • Dear Music Blogger
  • Hello, Music Friends!
  • Dear [Wrong Name]
  • Media Friends:
  • To whom it may concern
  • Sir or Madam
  • ATTN:
  • [Name] <– This happens when they leave what should be automated forms blank, and it happens a lot.

Technology may make connecting with others easier than ever before, but it still lacks the personal touch of a traditional conversation. Even letters written by hand required something more tactile than a digital message can allow. Using someone’s name tells them you view them as something more than a faceless body existing in the void of the internet that you seek to use as means to ascend through the ranks of the entertainment industry. Using someone’s name, treating them like a professional should, is so simple, yet it can mean so much. It tells someone you see them and their work, which often is the result of great sacrifice, and it subconsciously makes them care a bit more for what you have to share.

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Industry News News

Spotify founder says “close to 40,000” tracks added to streaming service every day

The latest data point from Spotify’s founder reveals a hard truth about competition in the streaming age.

Spotify Founder and CEO Daniel Ek spoke with investors this week during a quarterly earnings call to discuss the latest developments at the streaming giant. Amongst the many tidbits of information shared, including the companies’ recent success crossing the 100-million paid user count, was the fact that nearly 40,000 new songs are added to the service each day. To be specific, Ek said:

“with more than 50 million tracks now available on Spotify, and growing by close to 40,000 daily, the discover[y] tools we’re building have never been more important to consumers and artists alike.”

Daniel Ek, speaking to investors on April 29, 2019

Let’s put that figure into perspective. Forty thousand tracks per day equal about 280,000 songs a week or around 1.2 million tracks per calendar month. In a year, this volume would add up to a whopping 14.6 million.

Therefore, at its current rate, every three-and-a-half years, Spotify will add over 50 million tracks to its library. Considering the platform currently boasts a catalog of roughly 50 million songs total, the current growth rate would double Spotify’s music library by 2022, and it could happen sooner than that.

To look at it another way, let’s accept that the average song is about three minutes long, or 180-seconds. With 40,000 songs added every day, Spotify is creating roughly 2,000 hours worth of new competition for clicks each morning.

If you listened to every song added to Spotify in a single day without taking breaks it would take you a little more than 83 days to hear everything. That’s almost three months of music being added to one streaming service each day.

Daniel Ek also added that the “number of creators that are engaging directly with Spotify’s platform continues to increase, growing to over 3.9 million” in the first three months of 2019. That figure refers to musicians and podcasters, both of whom are contributing to the overwhelming amount of content being added to the platform each day.

Artists reading this now may find themselves in a panic. After all, how can anyone adding music to the platform with a promotional juggernaut behind them hope to stand out in a sea of music far too large to ever be consumed in full? For them, Ek offers this data point:

“In Q1, we saw a 20% increase in the number of artists streamed on our platform year-over-year and a 29% increase in the number of artists with at least 100,000 listeners.

Daniel Ek, speaking to investors on April 29, 2019

The best chance most artists have of being discovered on Spotify is through appearances on popular playlists. We ran the advice of one playlisting professional on our blog last week, and we plan to share more in the weeks to come.

If Spotify’s catalog is growing at this unprecedented rate, it’s highly likely that the same can be said for Apple Music and Amazon Music, as well as their smaller competitors. Streaming may be helping the music business recover from its low point, but it’s certainly not helping developing artists make careers out of their work in the same way physical media sales once did. At least, not yet.

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Artist Advice Business Advice Editorials Industry News News

How to succeed in the music business today

No two paths to success in the music business are the same, but the decisions that need to be made along the way are universal.

Here are a few lies you’ve probably heard about success in the music business:

  • “All it takes is one great song!”
  • “The music industry runs on connections.”
  • “Anyone can be a music professional.”
  • “If you really want it, you can have it.”
  • “Getting mentioned by ____ changed everything.”
  • “If you pay to be on this playlist/gig, you will have a career overnight.”
  • “Every artist must ____ in order to succeed.”
  • “Every music professional should ____ if they want to keep their job.”

There are fragments of truth in all of these phrases, but as a whole, they each paint an inaccurate picture of life in the music business. One song is no longer enough. There are more artists than ever, and countless thousands have produced viral songs that never lead anywhere of note. Even if they did, those same artists were expected to produce another great track almost as soon as the first began to find its audience. There is no end, only short plateaus where we catch our breath before pushing further forward.

Music is a calling. There are millions who claim they want this life, but only a few hundred will actually find work, and even less than that will make music a career. Connections can open doors, but you still need talent. Those who get ahead by connections alone always end up revealing their true nature in time. Those who keep their head down and put in the work needed to learn their jobs might not rise as fast, but they will be part of this industry for longer because people will want them around. Friends are cool, and having them around is nice, but those focused on success need people willing (and able) to do the work needed. That is where the true professionals come in.

If you want to make a career out of music there is only one way to do it: Commit.

Commit to learning your craft.C

Commit to networking and collaborating with like-minded individuals.

Commit to never giving up on yourself, even when things don’t work out.

Commit to accepting failure as a fact of life rather than something you can avoid.

Commit to helping others.

Commit to never giving up, even when you don’t know what else to do.

Commit to remaining a fan for life.

Commit to giving more than you get.

Commit to celebrating your success, no matter how small.

Commit to going above and beyond what is asked of you, even if it means making sacrifices (within reason).

Commit to standing up for yourself.

Commit to admitting when you’re wrong, and to learning from the mistakes you make along the way.

There is no easy path to success in music. The good news is, that same rule applies to everyone else. Good luck.

Categories
Industry News News

Spotify crosses 100 million paid users milestone

The streaming war is far from over, but Spotify’s lead is growing with each passing day.

People are willing to pay for music. As funny as it sounds to hear that now, there was a time shortly after the dawn of the millennium where the industry wasn’t sure if that was still the case. The rise of digital piracy lead many to believe people were no longer willing to shell out cash to support recorded music, but premium streaming subscription services such as Spotify have proven that notion false.

This week, Spotify announced it has finally crossed the 100-million paid user mark during the first quarter of 2019. The streaming giant, which has long been the market leader for music consumption, added four million premium users in the three months ending March 31, a 4 percent spike quarterly and 32 percent over the previous year’s quarter. Ad-supported monthly active users now total 123 million, an increase of 6 percent on the quarter and 21 percent year over year. Overall, total monthly active users rose to 217 million in Q1, up 5 percent from the previous quarter and 26 percent year over year.

Spotify’s latest figures place the company’s total subscriber count at double that of its closest competitor, Apple Music. Apple CEO Tim Cook said in January that Apple Music hit 50 million subscribers at the end of last year.

Apple Music does, however, have a higher paid user count in the United States, which is the world’s largest market for music consumption. Apple Music is also growing faster in the US than Spotify. That growth may not be enough to overtake Spotify on a global scale, but it does show consumer preferences for streaming services are not yet set in stone.

Spotify’s advantage in the ongoing streaming war is its free tier. Apple Music requires a paid subscription, but Spotify allows over one-hundred million people a month to access its music library through a free tier that inserts advertisements in between songs.

Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, and other streaming services have subscription numbers far below that of Spotify and Apple Music. So much so, that bringing up their paid user count in this conversation feels pointless. Still, with the right innovations, it is possible for anyone to rise through the ranks and become the next leading streaming service. After all, there was a time when it seemed like Netflix would reign over video streaming forever, but the recent news of Disney+ and its low monthly cost has made many to believe the service is in jeopardy of losing its position as the market king.

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